The invention relates to a drive system for a people conveyor and to a people conveyor comprising such a drive system.
A people conveyor, such as an escalator or a moving walkway, comprises a band of conveyance elements, in particular steps or pallets, moving in a conveyance direction between two landing portions. The conveyance elements are connected with and driven by an endless conveyance chain belonging to a drive system. The conveyance chain comprises a plurality of chain links and extends along an endless loop between two turnaround portions arranged next to the landing portions.
At least one sprocket transferring the chain links between an upper conveyance portion and a lower return portion is provided in at least one of the turnaround portions. The diameter of said at least one sprocket is a limiting factor for reducing the vertical dimension of the people conveyor. The lower limit of the diameter of said at least one sprocket depends on the length of the chain links.
Thus, it would be beneficial to reduce the length of the chain links in order to allow reducing the diameter of the at least one sprocket and thus the vertical dimension of the people conveyor.